Tuesday, 23 June 2015

Some readers may remember Dr George Rae, a spokesman for the BMA who told the BBC that - in his 'expert' opinion - e-cigs are more dangerous than smoking. You can hear a recording of his truth-free nonsense in this post, or read the transcript here.

This is quite obviously utter garbage, and especially disturbing because it comes from a doctor who - for some unfathomable reason - is a member of a profession people tend to trust above others. It disturbed Clive Bates enough that he wrote to the General Medical Council to complain, which he has recounted in this article which I highly recommend you read.

The purpose of the complaint, it seemed to me, was that it might mean that someone would speak to Rae and tell him to stop being so ignorant before spouting cockwaffle in future. You know, try to know the facts before pretending on the radio that he's an 'expert'. None of that happened, in fact the GMC didn't even query Rae as to what evidence he had read to come up with such weapons grade crackpottery. No investigation even took place!

Instead, the GMC repeatedly replied that Dr Rae is allowed to say whatever he wants - no matter how false, misleading and dangerous to those who want to quit smoking it may be - because, well, it's not an important matter.

Yes. Really!

In this instance, we did not open an investigation into your concerns because we do not believe they are serious enough to suggest we may need to restrict or remove Dr Rae’s registration or ability to work.

Not serious enough? So what has the past decade of incessant, wall-to-wall panic-mongering around smoking been all about if the GMC think a doctor putting people off quitting is no big deal? As Bates surmises.

One argument was that the concerns were too trivial to warrant further investigation. Many doctors would recognise smoking as the single most important source of preventable disease (they never stop parroting it, FFS! - DP), and GPs are collectively paid over £80 million through their contracts to reduce smoking around £10,000 for the average sized practice It seems to us to be the height of irresponsibility to give the public demonstrably false information and so exaggerate the risks of alternatives to smoking.

So next time any doctor tells you how you must quit smoking, or tells you - in the media or anywhere else - that tobacco harm is a major health problem - tell them that it's no biggie and they should just chillax ... because the GMC says so. Politicians might want to stop spunking our taxes on such inconsequential and unimportant overheads as tobacco control industry lobbyists too.

Meanwhile, the BMA have today been holding their annual conference under the hashtag #ARMlive, so a few enthusiastic vapers sent Bates's blog their way to see what they thought of such a whitewash. In amongst the tumbleweed there was this piece of absurd wagon-circling.

Yes, apparently, asking the doctors' regulator to regulate doctors and call fraudulent claims to account is deemed as 'persecution'. How very dare they challenge a cardinal of the Church of Public Health with mere facts, eh?

Never underestimate the destructive wiles of a fascist totalitarian regime, yes, they're swivel eyed fucking loons, but they have the ear of the public and the government, people should treat their bodies as objects belonging to the state, maintain them as cheaply as possible, be as productive as possible and vacate them as soon as possible once past a serviceable age.

I have found many in the medical profession and particularly consultants, to be arrogant beyond belief; they also seem to be untouchable.

I have complained on a number of occasions about a few consultants and their inappropriate treatment and behaviour toward me or a loved one receiving 'treatment' and got precisely nowhere - not even with the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Presumably it is all the same Old Boys Club and they watch each others' backs to make sure that each continues to receive their grossly inflated salaries and bonuses, not forgetting their backhanders from big pharma!

Don't know how true this is, but I heard a while back that big pharma have found a cure for several cancers but are not publicisng it because they earn too much from Chemo to want to throw that away!

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it was true!

In summary, NO DOCTOR (especially the higher up they are) CAN BE TRUSTED! Just like politicians and TC they will spout or do whatever is asked by those who offer the most financial reward!

I used to believe that Doctors and Professors were wise and all-knowing. Since taking up vaping and seeing some of them refuse to acknowledge blatantly obvious truths, I now know I was naive to think that. I am certainly older and wiser than I was then, but I find it staggering that Doctors can't understand the research that they are quoting at me to support their fantasy that vaping is as bad as smoking. Even worse, they block and run when you point out that the figures actually support the opposite truth, and they just weren't bright enough to interpret them correctly.

Well I waded through the entire Mr Bates thread and I thought what a star, what tenacity, then I learn that he was a proponent of the passive smoking lunacy. Respect went from 100 to near zero.When and how did we let the doctors elevate themselves to deity status It doesn't matter what they say or indeed whatever they comment on it must be true because they are a doctor. They're just as fallible as anyone else.There's a lot going on here on the vaping situation, the doctors wants to retaintheir position as overpaid dispensers of all products while retaining the perception of all powerful and knowing, the big pharmas want us to continue to use their overpriced products hence the call for legislation on making them re-licenced as medical products ( there's only big pharma that could afford the cost) and then there's the government concerned by the potential loss of tobacco tax revenue. Non of these entities give a flying about our health and wellbeing, their prime concern is how to best monetise us.